Something goes wrong in our personal lives, communities, or politics, we look for someone to blame. A trio of habits — jumping to conclusions, blaming others, and excusing ourselves — can feed division, and make truth harder to see. The aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting offers a vivid case study of how these tendencies play out in real time. The Lure of Conclusions The first part of this pattern is the rush to judgment. When the news of the Charlie Kirk shooting broke, f

Not every organization has a toxic star — but if you haven’t encountered one yet, chances are you will. A toxic star is the high performer who delivers impressive results while damaging the culture. They may be a charismatic leader, a top salesperson, or a brilliant project manager. On paper, they look like a hero. In practice, they drain morale, drive away talent, and leave behind long-term costs that outweigh their contributions. This is the person you can’t afford to lose…

A parent I know came home to hear her 13-year-old daughter fretting over something she'd read online: a thread predicting environmental catastrophe within a decade. The girl had taken it as gospel. No context, no filters. Just fear. About that same time, a client —an HR director and mother of two—reported that her teenage daughter was overwhelmed by social media posts about college admissions, and the endless stream of “perfect” lives online. Flooded with data, but starvi